Maintenance Tail Stand for Tail Draggers

[Low Pass]

The safest way I've seen to get the tail up and keep it secured is using a trick my hangar mate came up with. Use a hydraulic lift table with a bath towel (folded to about 20" x 20") or similar padding. Roll it under the tail just ahead of the tail wheel spring. Strap the fuse to the table if you're going to be bouncing around. Then pump it up.

Move it farther forward with more rigid blocks and padding too get more tail lift. (Be sure to lift at a bulkhead.)

No more worries about hurting yourself lifting the tail, dropping the tail in the process, or having it fall off a stand that engages the tail wheel or spring.

[DanH]

Originally Posted by mv031161

... tell me more about those ribs in the floor!

Perhaps a bit too durable for ribs. Those are 1" thick steel hammerforms.

Originally Posted by claycookiemonster

Just out of curiosity, how much weight is this tail stand holding?

Probably less than 50 lbs with a level airplane. However, the key is weight with somebody crawling into the tailcone, so design capacity needs to be more like (50+250) x safety multiple.

Stability; take a hard look at whatever you use, and think about some bozo shoving a wingtip while the tail is on the stand, with the chocks out.

BTW, most t-hangars have a roof joist above the tail area. Rig smooth 5/8" polyester rope through a pair of 6" snatch blocks as a two-part hoist line, and you can lift/hold the tail with one hand. Also handy for getting heavy stuff out of the truck.

[Tomcat RV4]

Those table lifts can usually be purchased at Harbor freight for around $125 and a good safe way to support tail...Tomcatrv4

[claycookiemonster]

How high above the ground does one need to lift the tail wheel to achieve level?

[Ironflight]

Originally Posted by claycookiemonster

How high above the ground does one need to lift the tail wheel to achieve level?

Really high!! About 2/3rds of the height of the tailmate - maybe more. We never leave the airplanes on the tailmate if we're going for level - we use it to lift them, then use something broad and stable under the aft fuselage to support them.

Paul

[claycookiemonster]

Unless I've missed it, a "tailmate" isn't a standard unit of distance, and in a conversation with pilots, "really high" can have widely different meanings too! How far above the hanger floor does this thing need to hold a tail wheel? Furlongs or angstroms, maybe even cubits will work. Thanks.

[flyinga]

Floor to bottom of aft fus. 40" or 2.22 cubits

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by flyinga

Floor to bottom of aft fus. 40" or 2.22 cubits

Higher for an RV-9 as it has longer gear legs than the -8 or -7.

[Hornet2008]

What's a cubit? - Bill Cosby

[kinger]

I can do tailwheel maintenance at the same time too.


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